BAKU -- The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland has arrived in Azerbaijan on the first leg of her South Caucasus tour.

Nuland told journalists in Baku on February 17 that her talks with President Ilham Aliyev focused on bilateral ties and the situation around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nuland added that she would talk about the release of Azerbaijani civilians held in Nagorno-Karabakh during her meetings with Armenian officials in Yerevan on February 18.

In the Armenian capital, Nuland will also discuss strengthening U.S.-Armenian ties and advancing a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Before visiting Yerevan, Nuland will travel on February 17 to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, where she is expected to discuss Georgia's path toward European integration and the country’s efforts to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.